Coronavirus: Leicester lockdown to be reviewed on Thursday
The local Leicester lockdown will be reviewed on Thursday to assess whether it is safe for the city to partially reopen, health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed.
Hancock said “numbers have been coming down in Leicester”, but that “the number of positive cases in Leicester is still well above the rest of the country”.
The health secretary told the House of Commons today that the government would assess data from the last fortnight to make a decision, but that he would not “pre-judge” the outcome.
“We will look at 14 days of data – it is now 14 days since it was introduced – we’ll look at that on Thursday of this week and make a public announcement as soon as is reasonably possible about whether and if any changes can be made to the situation in Leicester,” he said.
Leicester became the first city in the UK to be put into a local lockdown on 30 June, after a spike in Covid-19 cases.
All non-essential shops were forced to close and schools were shut for all but the most vulnerable children.
Pubs and restaurants did not reopen on 4 July like the rest of England.
The city was put into lockdown after its coronavirus infection rate increased by 944 people in the week before 30 June – three-times higher than the next closest city.
The spike in infections came after a number of outbreaks in factories and food processing plants in Leicester.
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth today urged the government to provide targeted assistance to Leicester businesses affected by the local lockdown.
He also asked: “What metrics will be used to judge whether Leicester can ease out of lockdown later this week?”
Hancock did not give an answer on whether targeted economic support would be given to the area.
He also did not give the specific metrics which the government will consult when making a decision on the lockdown.
“We won’t set out specific thresholds, instead we’ll look at all the data – both the level and rate of change – and make the appropriate decision in consultation with the local authorities,” he said.